Apparatus for vending coal and the like



M r h 1956 o. N. HENRY ET AL APPARATUS FOR VENDING CCAL AND THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 5, 1953 INVENHZS 7" kozz/w/Z,

I IFIIIII Mamh 1956 o. N. HENRY ET AL APPARATUS FOR VENDING COAL AND THE LIKE I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 5, 1953 INVENTORS- A. 17

March 1956 o. N. HENRY ETAL APPARATUS FOR VENDING COAL AND THE LIKE I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 5, 1953 i I i 0&0 my??? Lew/kowac/a I I llxwlllll IIIIIIAI APPARATUS non VENDING COAL AND THE LIKE Otto N. Henry, Prospect Heights, andMano H. Arnold and Michael Lewkowich, Chicago, Ill., assiguors to Thermo Cuber Company, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corpo-.

The present invention relates to an improved, compact and inexpensively constructed machine for vending coal and like discrete material of substantial piece size. Improved provisions which are preferably, though not necessarily, governed by a coin control mechanism, control the unvaryingly uniform discharge of measured quantities of such material, as into a portable receptacl each time the machine is placed into operation.

It is an object of the invention to provide an extremely rugged and simple machine of the foregoing description, having a minimum of moving parts. It is characterized by a gravity supply hopper discharging downwardly through a quadrant-shaped receiving opening in the top plate of a housing wherein a rigidly compartmented rotary metering and forwarding device is mounted. This device has a plurality of radially extending sweep walls of substantial height which define segment-shaped chambers in which metered charges of the loose material, confined between successive sweep walls, are rotatively advanced over a bottom plate of the housing. The sweep walls ultimately discharge the measured charges, as timed or controlled by a suitable motor operating means, through a quadrant-shaped delivery opening in the bottom plate. The delivery opening communicates with a discharge chute through which the material is gravitationally forwarded to a suitable portable receptacle.

It is a further and more specific object of the invention to provide a machine as described above, in which the housing top plate, through which the supply hopper discharges, is provided with a radially extending baflle depending below the rear edge of the quadrant-shaped receiving opening in the plate, in reference to the direction of rotation of the rotary metering device; this baffle is located in predeterminedly spaced relation above the sweep walls of the chambered forwarding device to stop undesired rearward spilling of the material over its forwarding sweep wall into a chamber of the device following that wall, as the latter advances into the zone of the hopper and receiving opening. The vertical spacing of the bafile insures against such diversion of the entering material and against jamming of individual pieces thereof between the housing top plate and metering sweep walls.

Yet another specific object of the. invention is to provide a machine of the above sort in which a forward leveling member is applied to the housing top plate to scrape off the charge of material in a measuring chamber as the metering device advances rotatively, the sweep blades of the device being predeterminedly and substantially spaced beneath this leveling member, to the end that a uniform height of material is established over the entire area of an advancing charge. This is done well before the forward sweep wall of the chamber in which the charge is disposed reaches the delivery opening in the housing bottom plate, and the rear plate of the chamber proceeds to sweep the measured charge through the delivery opening to the discharge chute.

rates Patent A further object of the invention which is to provide a simple, rotary type metering and vending apparatus as described above, in which a predetermined volume of coal or other material, for example a 50 pound basketfull,is discharged at each cycle of operation thereof, preferably as determined by an appropriate coin control mechanism. The machine may also be equipped, if desired, with a conventional totalizer by which a change in the price of such an amount of the commodity, in terms of the number and denomination of coins to be inserted in the coin control mechanism, can be readily made without altering the amount of the commodity dispensed at each operating cycle. This is to be distinguished from the operation of previous known types of vending apparatus, in which the size of the charge of material dispensed has to be'changed in accordance with fluctuations in the market price of the commodity in question.

The foregoing statements are indicative in a general way of the nature of the invention. Other and more specific objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon a full understanding of the construction and operation of the apparatus.

A single embodiment of the invention, as, it relates to the mechanical vending apparatus, per se, and two embodiments of the invention, as it relates to the control arrangements for the apparatus, are presented herein for purpose of illustration. It will be appreciated that the invention may be incorporated in'other modified forms coming equally within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings: 7

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the improved vending machine, generally illustrating the arrangement of its supply hopper, its rotary metering device, and features of the housing in which this device operates, particularly the quadrant-shaped openings in the top and bottom plates of this housing through which material is fed in and a measured quantity thereof discharged;

,Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the machine in end elevation, as viewed from the bottom of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in transverse horizontal section along a line corresponding to line 3.-3 of Fig. 2, further illustrating the relationship of a protective bafile in the metering housing to the radial sweep plates of the metering device in the housing;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in transverse vertical section along a line correspondingto broken line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in enlarged scale and in vertical section along line 5-5 of Fig. 1, showing a detail of the hopper, rear baflle and sweep, plate components;

Fig. 6 is a view showing a schematic wiring diagram of an appropriate electrical drive and control unit for the machine, including a suitable coin control and totalizer hookup; and

Fig. 7 is a schematic showing of an additional form of a wiring system adapted for use in controlling the machine in a manner similar to that shown in Fig. 6.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the operat ing parts of the improved machine may be supported firmly upon an angle iron frame or other suitable standard including low upright legs 10 arranged in spaced pairs. These may be connected by suitable angle iron cross pieces, and the thus constituted frame supports at its top a horizontal, rectangular, sheetmetal floor or bottom plate 11 of a rotary material metering and discharge device of the machine, which is generally designated by the reference numeral 12.

Plate 11' in turn supports four further angle iron uprights '13, on the top of which a flat rectangular sheet metal top plate 14 of the unit 12 is supported. Suitable welded connections unite the above supporting parts in a rigid assembly. A downwardly convergently walled supply hopper 15 of rectangular horizontal cross section is mounted atop the plate 14, this hopper having a rectangular discharge throat 16 through which coal or other material is gravitationally discharged to the metering device 12, as later described. Hopper 15 may be braced on plate 14 by side angle irons 17 and welded connections to the respective parts.

The device 12 rotates in a horizontal plane between the bottom and top plates 11, 14. It includes a cylindrical, vertical walled shell or drum 18 of substantial height having an outwardly flanged bearing ring 19- encircling its lower end slightly above the lower edge thereof. The radial flange of this ring may ride on ball bearings 20 mounted on bottom plate 11. An upper reinforcing and rigidifying ring 21 is also applied to the upper perimeter of drum 18, approximately flush with its upper edge, which is spaced slightly beneath top plate 14 of metering device 2.

Drum 18 has a number of internal, radially extending, material sweep walls 22; these are welded to the drum at their outer extremities and at their inner ends they are welded or otherwise secured to an upright tubular shaft 23. Shaft 23 sleeves on an upright central drive shaft 24, and the two shafts are secured in non-rotative relation to one another, as by means of appropriate shear pins.

Drive shaft 24 extends downwardly through the bottom plate 11, in which it is rotatively mounted by means of a heavy duty bearing 25. At its lower extremity the shaft has a horizontal sprocket 26 secured thereon, through which it is driven by a link belt 27. The belt derives its drive from a sprocket 28 on the shaft 29 of a gear head motor, generally designated by the reference numeral 30 and of entirely conventional type. The motor is rigidly mounted on a cross structure 31 supported by a pair of the frame legs 10.

Referring to Figs, 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings, it is seen that the radial sweep walls 22 which internally subdivide drum 18, three in number and spaced 120 from one another in the illustrated embodiment, are of less height than the cylindrical wall of the drum. They are thus predeterminedly spaced beneath top plate 14 of device 12, which plate is but slightly spaced above the upper extremity of the drum.

Top plate 14 has a quadrant-shaped opening '32 therein, located immediately beneath the rectangular discharge opening 16 of supply hopper 15, the intersecting straight sides 33, 34 of this quadrant opening being disposed approximately in vertical alignment with the 90 center lines of the rectangular plate 11, 12. Openings 32 thus leave a generally triangular section of top plate 14 exposed beneath hopper 15; the arcuate edge of this section approximately coincides vertically with the inner surface of the cylindrical wall of drum 18 of metering device 12.

A radially extending baffle 36 depends beneath the rearmost edge 33 of quadrant opening 32. It may consist of a slat-like plate welded to plate 14 andextendingdow-nwardly almost to the level of the upper edge of sweep walls 22, as illustrated in Figs 2 and 5, or it may be a depending extension of a side wall of hopper 15. This battle extends radially outwardly from adjacent sleeve shaft 23 almost to drum 18.

The opposite radial edge 34 of hopper quadrant opening 32, predeterminedly spaced above the top of sweep walls 22 as described above, functions as a top metering or leveling knife. It determines the level of the material in a chamber between a pair of successive metering sweep walls 22 of unit 12. The vertical spacing of this edge above the sweep walls depends on the size of the commodity vended. It is sufiicient to prevent jamming .of the pieces, yet to subject a minimum amount of the material which projects above the sweep walls 22 to a frictional leveling. action. The edge 34 compacts the lumps of a commodity such as coal somewhat in the metering compartment, with the result that surprisingly uniform charges are rotated to a discharge point.

The charge of material in the metering chamber or compartment, levelled off and otherwise controlled as described, is finally dropped through a quadrant-shaped discharge throat opening in the bottom plate 11 of unit 12. The forward and rear radial edges 38, 39, respectively, of opening 37 are disposed along the center line of plate 11, as in the case of the radial limits of the hopper supply opening 32.

A discharge chute, generally designated 40 is disposed beneath the quadrant discharge throat 37, and it discharges vertically through an external, laterally and vertically shielded spout 42. Chute 40 is appropriately mounted by suitable conventional means 43 in depending relation to housing bottom plate 11. There is therefore no danger of unauthorized manipulation of the drum 18 by access through chute 40, particularly since the gear head drive for drum shaft 24 is self-locking.

The machine may be controlled, as regards the drive for its motor 30, by any appropriate system which will permit a predetermined cycle of rotation, the timing of which may be varied in accordance with the number of chambers of the rotary metering unit 12. Motor 30 may be controlled manually, with or Without the assistance of a suitable timing device to govern its energization for a period only sufiicient to advance a measured charge in one of the chambers or compartments of rotary distributor 12 past the chute supply opening 32 to the delivery opening 37 to discharge chute 41. It is contemplated, however, that the control shall be fully automatic and coin controlled.

A suggested system for the purpose is illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings. Here a coin controlled device, generally designated 43, preferably has totalizer provisions, as referred to above, whereby an optionally determined number or denomination of coins can be inserted in the device in return for a predetermined fixed discharge quantity.

Referring to Fig. 6, the arrangement illustrated which may be employed in conjunction with either a lever operated or slide operated type of coin box 43. This is an outside box incorporating a turn-on switch 45, a light bulb or heating coil 46, and the usual relays 47, including a coin return relay. This unit is appropriately wired to the terminal unit 48 of a junction box 49 on the vending apparatus, the box 49 being in turn wired to motor 30. Junction box 49 includes a shut-off switch 50 and a fuse and switch box 51 connected externally to a suitable power source; and a machine empty micro switch on the vending .machine is wired to the motor of the latter and to the coin box 43. Further description or illustration of Stl'lJG- tural details of this operating circuit are unnecessary, the same being presented simply to depict a typical lever or slide operated coin box control.

An alternative arrangement is illustrated in Fig. 7 of the drawings. The coin controlled provisions of this layout are entirely automatic, including an accumulator unit 53 provided with suitable coin and reset switch solenoids 54, 55, etc., a slug rejector assembly 56 having coin switches 57 and a coin return electromagnet 58. The devices 53 and 56 are wired to a standard type plug-in "coin box 59 which is appropriately wired in turn to the vending apparatus 12 through the connections illustrated.

In accordance with the last described aspect of the invention, a totalizer unit, generally designated 60, is also wired to plug-in coin box 59, this unit being equipped with a shut-off switch 61 and a normally open machine empty switch 62.

We claim:

1. A machine for vending materials comprising a rotary housing having a vertical cylindrical wall and being mounted for rotation on a shaft concentric with its wall, a fixed horizontal top plate for said housing having a supply opening under which said housing passes in rotating, said housing being radially subdivided into segmental metering chambers by rotating sweep walls of substantial height, a fixed bottom plate for said housing having a delivery opening in angularly spaced relation to said supply opening, said supply opening having a protective baflle depending from the rear edge thereof, in reference to the direction of rotation of the housing, the top of said sweep walls being predeterminedly spaced beneath said top plate to allow the front edge of said supply opening to function as a leveling means, and means to rotate said housing.

2. A machine for vending materials comprising a rotary housing having a vertical cylindrical wall and being mounted for rotation on a shaft concentric with its wall, a fixed horizontal top plate for said housing having a supply opening under which said housing passes in rotating defined by edges coinciding vertically with 90 intersecting lines through the axis of rotation of the housing, said housing being radially subdivided into segmental metering chambers by rotating sweep walls of substantial height, a fixed bottom plate for said housing having a delivery opening in angularly spaced relation to said supply opening, said supply opening having a protective baflle depending from the rear edge thereof, in reference to the direction of rotation of the housing, the top of said sweep walls being predeterminedly spaced beneath said top plate to allow the front edge of said supply opening to function as a leveling means, and means to rotate said housing.

3. A machine for vending materials comprising a rotary housing having a vertical cylindrical wall and being mounted for rotation on a shaft concentric with its wall, a fixed horizontal top plate for said housing having a quadrant-shaped supply opening under which said housing passes in rotating defined by edges coinciding vertically with the periphery of said Wall and with 90 intersecting lines through the axis of rotation of the housing, said housing being radially subdivided into segmental metering chambers by rotating sweep walls of substantial height, a fixed bottom plate for said housing having a delivery opening in angularly spaced rela tion to said supply opening, said delivery and supply openings being of similar outline and said supply opening having a protective bafile depending from the rear radial edge thereof, in reference to the direction of rotation of the housing, the top of said sweep walls being predeterminedly spaced beneath said top plate to allow the front edge of said supply opening to function as a leveling means, and means to rotate said housing.

4. A machine for vending materials comprising a rotary housing having a vertical cylindrical wall and mounted for rotation on a shaft concentric with its wall, a fixed horizontal top plate for said housing hav ing a supply opening under which said housing passes in rotating, said housing being radially subdivided into segmental metering chambers by rotating sweep walls of substantial height, a fixed bottom plate for said housing having a delivery opening in angularly spaced relation to said supply opening, a bafile disposed between said top plate and the tops of said sweep walls and adjacent the rear edge of said supply opening, in reference to the direction of rotation of the housing, the top of said sweep walls being predeterminedly spaced beneath said top plate to allow the front edge of said supply opening to function as a leveling means, and means to rotate said housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 815,882 Tucker Mar. 20, 1906 987,211 Bender et al Mar. 21, 1911 1,073,070 Bunnell Sept. 9, 1913 1,639,370 Flegel Aug. 16, 1927 2,354,896 Weiler Aug.'1, 1944 2,593,102 Caruso Apr. 15, 1952 2,650,149 Munz et a1 Aug. 25, 1953 

